Drive in form of gear reduction for flour mill grinding rolls



June 5, 1951 H. H. KRAMER 2,555,415

DRIVE IN FORM OF GEAR REDUCTIQN FOR noun MILL GRINDING ROLLS Filed May a, 1947 ATTU RN EZYS June 5, 1951 H. H. KRAMER 5 DRIVE IN FORM OF GEAR REDUCTION FOR FLOUR MILL GRINDING ROLLS Filed May 6, 1947 '2 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. fla/za/wf' Kramer ATTU RNE'YS Patented June 5, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRIVE IN FORM OF GEAR REDUCTION FOR FLOUR MILL GRINDING ROLLS 1 Claim.

This invention appertains to improvements in gearing assemblies generally, and more particularly to a reduction type for application to standard mechanisms, employing relatively adjustable shafts operating in parallelism.

An object of the invention is to provide a gearing assembly of this character, which is especially designed for use in connection with flour mills having grinding rolls driven through parallel spindles, and which is in the nature of an attachment to be mounted on the spindles, exteriorly of the mill, whereby the spindles are geared to each other through counter-shafts and coacting gearing so that one of the spindles is rotated at a speed different from that of the other spindle.

Another object of the invention has to do with the provision of a gearing assembly as above specified, in combination with a means which permits of the adjustment of one of the spindles relatively to the other, in order to vary the grinding characteristics of the rolls of the mill, or to otherwise compensate for any decrease in the size of the grinding rolls due to wear.

A further object of the invention lies in the provision of a gearing assembly as above mentioned, which is comparatively simple in its construction, thoroughly reliable and efficient in operation, strong, durable, compact, readily and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a side elevation of an end portion of a conventional form of flour mill, showing the improved gearing assembly operatively mounted on the shafts of the grinding roll spindles, 111 30- cordance with the invention: 7

Figure 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, end elevation of the flour mill, showing the gearing assembly in front elevation:

Figure 3 is an enlarged, front elevational view of the gearing assembly per se, with the front wall, or cover plate, of the housing removed;

Figure 4 is a vertical, transverse section, taken through the line 44 on Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is a sectional view similar to that of Figure 4, but is taken through the line 5-5 on 2 Figure .2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary, elevational view of the inner side of one or the other of the front and rear walls of the housing, showing the arcuate guide means for one of the movable block supports for the inter-geared end of the adjustable spindle of the flour mill; and,

Figure 7 is a side elevation of one of the block supports for the adjustable spindle of the flour mill, and of an anti-frictional bearing carried thereby and in which the spindle is journalled.

In carrying out the objects and purposes of the instant invention, the flour mill selected to demonstrate an application of the improved reductiongearing assembly is entirely conventional, it having parallel spindles a, a, on which grinding rolls (not shown) are mounted within a casing A, one of the spindles, e. g., the spindle a, being supported for adjustment relatively to the other. The spindles a, a", have like ends projecting outwardly of an end of the casing A and through a smaller casing A, which is bracketed, as at B, on the end wall of the casing A; the casing A supporting the means for efiecting the adjustment of the spindle a. This adjusting means, as shown, is comprised in a screw-shaft C, which has one of its ends unthreaded and loosely pivoted, as at C, to the upper end of a stationary arm D, and the other of its ends screw-threaded and engaged through the upper end of a rocker arm E, the latter having its lower end pivoted on a stud I), carried by the bracket B and an arcuate opening e, formed in its approximate center and engaged over the spindle a. A handwheel F is provided on the screw-threaded end of the screw-shaft C for its manipulation and, also, an adjustable element F, inwardly from the hand-wheel, to bear against the adjacent side of the rocker arm E to shift the same, and, consequently, the spindle a, toward the stationary spindle a", whenever the hand-wheel F is turned in proper direction to such end.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the several views, the improved reduction drive gearing assembly, as it is exemplified therein, is comprised in a substantially rectangular casing [0, which has its oppositesides, front and rear, open and normally closed by removable walls or cover plates l4; flanges i2 being outturned from the edges of the side openings and apertured for the securement of the walls or plates 14 thereto, as by means of screws or the like l6. Each of the cover plates [4 is formed with a pair of spaced apertures l8, I8, above its horizontal center, with the apertures of each pair disposed in alignment to receive a sleeve 20 through the same; the sleeve engaged in the apertures l8 being secured, by set screws or the like 22, on the shaft 11 of the stationary grinding roll of the flour mill A, and the sleeve in the aperture [8 on the shaft (1, the latter apertures being made arcuate in form to permit of the adjustment of the shaft a relatively to the shaft a".

As best shown in Figures 4 and 6, the inner face of each of the cover plates I4 is provided with an annular flange 24, arranged in spaced concentric relation with respect to the aperture 18' therein to form a seat for an anti-friction bearing 26 which encircles the complemental end of the sleeve 20, carried by the shaft af' Also, 7 each inner face is provided with an annular flange 28 below and in line with the aperture 18" to form a seat for an anti-friction bearing 30 supporting the complemental end of a countershaft 32. Again, each inner face is provided with a fllange or guide rib 34, substantially arcuate in form, arranged above the aperture I8 and extending in spaced relation with respect to the upper edge of the aperture and for distances beyond its opposite ends; while .below the aperture, with a thickened portion 36, substantially triangular in form, which is provided with a circular recess 38, toward its lower end, to seat an antifriction bearing 40 for the support of the complemental end of a counter-shaft 32'. The top edge of the portion 36 is made arcuate and extends parallel to the flange or rib 34, to form a guideway between them for the support of a slide block 42, the opposed edges of the flange or rib and the slide block being oppositely beveled, as at 44, substantially as shown in Figures 5 and 7. Each of the'slide blocks 42 is centrally apertured, as at 42, for the projection of a sleeve through the same and through an anti-friction bearing 46 carried thereby, the sleeve being secured on the shaft (1 of the adjustable grinding roll of the flour mill.

The adjustable and stationary shafts a, ct", are intergeared with each other through the in a manner that the shaft a" is rotated at a slower speed than that of the shaft on; the train being comprised in a spur gear 48, keyed on the sleeve 29 on the shaft a, arranged in mesh with a spur gear 50, of substantially the same diameter, which is keyed on the counter-shaft 32 alongside of a somewhat smaller spur gear 52, also keyed on the latter. The gear 52, in turn, is arranged in mesh with a somewhat larger spur gear 54, keyed on the counter-shaft 32, alongside a spur gear 56, of substantially the same size, which, in turn, is arranged in mesh with a spur gear 58, keyed on the sleeve 20 on the shaft a", the latter gear being of substantially the same size as that of the spur gear 48.

In operation, with power applied to one of the shafts, e. g., the shaft a, the shaft a will be driven through the intermeshing reduction gears and the counter-shafts at a slower rate of speed than that of the shaft a, and by manipulating the handwheel F, the shaft 0, will be adjusted relatively to the shaft a" either to compensate for any decrease in the diameters of the grinding rolls, due to wear, or to vary .the grinding characteristics of the rolls, as may be necessary or desired. By the provision of the anti-friction counter-shafts 32, 32, and a train of gears of a selected reduction ratio, the gears being meshed bearings for both the grinding roll shafts a, a", and the counter-shafts 32, 32', wear thereof is reduced to a minimum, as well as vibration which is especially absent from the shaft a by reason of the added support aiforded it through the provision of the slide blocks or plates 42 on which the ball-bearings 46 are mounted. In order to further reduce friction throughout the reduction mechanism, thus provided and arranged, a filling opening, having a plug closure 60, is provided in the top side of the casing H) for the filling of the latter with a lubricant, and a drain outlet, having a plug closure 62, is provided in the bottom side for the removal of used lubricant.

While in the foregoing I have described a practical embodiment of my invention in connection with an exemplary use thereof, it is to be understood that my diiferential drive assembly may be employed in connection with parallel shafts of machines or mechanisms other than those of the grinding rolls of a flour millof the type mentioned herein. Hence, while I have described my invention in its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the words which I have used are words of description rather than of limitation, and that changes within the purview of the appended claim may be resorted to, without departing from the true scope and spirit of my invention in its broader aspects.

I claim:

In a gear transmission, the combination which comprises a gear casing having a continuous peripheral web arcuate shaped at the corners, side plates having spaced bearings therein and aligned openings therethrough mounted on the opposite edges of the Web, a pair of counter shafts positioned in the lower .part of the casing and journaled in the said side plates, an upper shaft positioned in the upper part of the casing and extended from one side thereof, said upper shaft also journaled in the said side plates, a drive shaft extended through the aligned openings in the upper parts of the side plates and extended from both sides of the casing, bearing blocks slidably mounted on the side plates of the casing in which the said drive shaftis journaled,

means adjusting the position of the drive'shaft in relation to the said upper shaft, gears in the casing positioned on the upper shaft and drive shaft, and pairs of gears on each of said countershafts positioned with a gear on one countershaft meshing with the gear on the upper shaft, with a gear on the other countershaft meshing with the gear on the drive shaft and with a gear on one countershaft meshing with a gear on the other countershaft, said meshing gears of the countershaft being of different fixed diameters.

HANS H. KRAMER.

REFERENCES CITED 7 The following references are of record in :the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 412,471 Creager Oct. 8, 1889 1,104,223 Risser July 21, 1914 1,713,487 Torrance May 14,192!) 2,323,135 Heintz et a1. June 29, 1943 2,332,274 Slayter Oct. 19, 1943 2,389,624 Knox et al. Nov. 27, 1945 

